Method for non-reactive validation of a function application

Abstract

A method for non-reactive validation of a function application for a host system that has host system resources and is configured to execute a control program to implement control functions of a device. The method includes: providing an environment in the host system, to which are assigned certain environment resources of the host system resources that computer programs executed in the environment are permitted to have at most; sending data present in the host system outside the environment, into the environment via a unidirectional interface; executing the function application in the environment to determine validation function data based on the data sent into the environment; determining validation data including function data and/or data derived from function data; sending the validation data to a remote computing system via a data communication interface of the host system.

1 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A method for non-reactive validation of a function application for a host system that has host system resources and is configured to execute a control program to implement control functions of a device, wherein the function application is a computer program that is configured, when executed, to determine function data that influence the control functions when the function application is executed as part of the control program and/or when the function data are taken into account by the control program, the method comprising the following steps:
 providing an environment in the host system, the environment being assigned certain environment resources of the host system resources that computer programs executed in the environment are permitted to have at most;   sending data present in the host system outside the environment, into the environment via a unidirectional interface;   executing the function application in the environment to determine validation function data based on the data sent into the environment;   determining validation data, the validation data including function data and/or data derived from function data;   sending the validation data to a remote computing system via a data communication interface of the host system.   
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 16 , further comprising:
 providing the function application in the environment;   wherein the function application is provided by the remote computing system via the data communication interface.   
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein the environment resources include a maximum processor utilization, and/or a maximum amount of volatile memory, and/or a maximum amount of non-volatile memory, and/or a maximum bandwidth of the data communication interface. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 16 , further comprising:
 reducing the environment resources when a resource request from the control program exceeds a predetermined threshold.   
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 16 , further comprising:
 specifying in the unidirectional interface which data present in the host system outside the environment are sent into the environment to the function application;   wherein the specifying is effected when providing the function application in the environment.   
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein a lower execution priority is assigned to the environment and/or the function application than to the control program. 
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 16 , further comprising:
 validating the function application by the remote computing system based on the validation data.   
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 22 , further comprising:
 when the function application is not validated, providing, by the remote computing system, a modified function application and/or modifications of the function application in the environment via the data communication interface.   
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 22 , further comprising:
 when the function application is successfully validated: providing and/or deploying the function application in the host system as part of the control program and/or such that the function data are taken into account by the control program.   
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein the device is an autonomous or a semi-autonomous vehicle; and wherein the control functions relate to automatically carried-out driving functions of the vehicle. 
     
     
         26 . A computing unit including a control unit of an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, the computing unit configured for non-reactive validation of a function application for a host system that has host system resources and is configured to execute a control program to implement control functions of a device, wherein the function application is a computer program that is configured, when executed, to determine function data that influence the control functions when the function application is executed as part of the control program and/or when the function data are taken into account by the control program, the computing unit configured to:
 provide an environment in the host system, the environment being assigned certain environment resources of the host system resources that computer programs executed in the environment are permitted to have at most;   send data present in the host system outside the environment, into the environment via a unidirectional interface;   execute the function application in the environment to determine validation function data based on the data sent into the environment;   determine validation data, the validation data including function data and/or data derived from function data;   send the validation data to a remote computing system via a data communication interface of the host system.   
     
     
         27 . A validation system, comprising:
 at least one computing unit; and   a remote computing system that is configured to establish a data connection with a data communication interface of the at least one computing unit and to receive validation data via the data connection;   wherein the computing unit is configured for non-reactive validation of a function application for a host system that has host system resources and is configured to execute a control program to implement control functions of a device, wherein the function application is a computer program that is configured, when executed, to determine function data that influence the control functions when the function application is executed as part of the control program and/or when the function data are taken into account by the control program, the computing unit configured to:
 provide an environment in the host system, the environment being assigned certain environment resources of the host system resources that computer programs executed in the environment are permitted to have at most; 
 send data present in the host system outside the environment, into the environment via a unidirectional interface; 
 execute the function application in the environment to determine validation function data based on the data sent into the environment; 
 determine the validation data, the validation data including function data and/or data derived from function data; 
 send the validation data to a remote computing system via the data communication interface of the host system. 
   
     
     
         28 . The validation system according to  claim 27 , wherein the remote computing system is further configured to:
 provide the function application via the data connection in the at least one computing unit or an environment provided therein; and/or   validate the function application based on validation data; and/or   modify the function application and provide the modified function application via the data connection in the at least one computing unit or the environment provided therein.   
     
     
         29 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium on which is stored a computer program for non-reactive validation of a function application for a host system that has host system resources and is configured to execute a control program to implement control functions of a device, wherein the function application is a computer program that is configured, when executed, to determine function data that influence the control functions when the function application is executed as part of the control program and/or when the function data are taken into account by the control program, the computer program, when executed by a computer, causing the computer to perform the following steps:
 providing an environment in the host system, the environment being assigned certain environment resources of the host system resources that computer programs executed in the environment are permitted to have at most;   sending data present in the host system outside the environment, into the environment via a unidirectional interface;   executing the function application in the environment to determine validation function data based on the data sent into the environment;   determining validation data, the validation data including function data and/or data derived from function data;   sending the validation data to a remote computing system via a data communication interface of the host system.